"He gets the ball to the right people at the right time," Meyer said after the game. "What I was more impressed with were the downfield throws. A few of those were right on the dot."

Those downfield throws came early in the game.

On Ohio State's second play from scrimmage, 90 yards away from Cal's end zone, Guiton brilliantly sold a fake screen pass before turning his attention upfield. With the defense now out of position, Guiton led a streaking Devin Smith perfectly, connecting for a historic 90-yard touchdown pass that broke the game wide open:

Guiton to Smith for 90 yards was not only the longest play from scrimmage in OSU history, but the longest play of any Meyer-coached team.

Guiton and Smith hooked up again on Ohio State's next drive, and although it wasn't for 90 yards, the degree of difficulty on the throw was higher because Smith was blanketed by the cornerback.

Guiton placed the ball perfectly over Smith's shoulder, out of the cornerback's reach, for another long touchdown pass.

These are the kind of plays that backup quarterbacks have a hard time making, but against Cal, Guiton made them look routine.

That's a credit to his preparation, and for the Buckeyes, it's the biggest reason why their offense hasn't skipped a beat while Miller recovers from his knee injury.

With Guiton taking all but seven snaps against San Diego State and Cal, the Buckeyes are averaging 47 points and more than 525 yards of offense per game. After one week of taking first-team reps in practice, Guiton led the Buckeyes in shredding the Golden Bears for 52 points and 608 yards.

According to Meisel's article, Guiton just wants to be ready whenever his team needs him.

"I'll just be the guy I've been forever," Guiton said following the game. "I'll be there. I'll be a leader. I'll be helping Braxton no matter what goes on. If my number is called, I'll do the job that I can do."

After his performance against Cal, Ohio State should have no problem calling Guiton's number, regardless of the situation.